Prize fighting rings
Prize fighting rings and matches originated as a form of training in the early days of Gunnedin prior to Principality Day. It was used to practice martial arts and sparring skills with other skilled fighters to improve one’s skills and to train. During this time, building self sufficiency skills and survival skills was crucial to upholding a successful settlement amidst the Plague. They were also viewed for entertainment and it was all around a fun time. Years after Principality Day however, developing one’s survival skills was discouraged and the social class divide became apparent. Public sparring matches became associated with lower class ruffians, the thieves who held onto old Gunnedin beliefs about the importance of self sufficiency and survival skills and became disdained by proles who were encouraged to suck up to NGLUS. Now prize fighting rings are a form of entertainment and income among thieves who are either bored or wish to upkeep the tradition. Instead of regular sparring matches however, some matches result in fights to the death. During the rise of commercial genetics, prize fighting rings were often used by gene therapy companies to showcase their procedures to proles and thieves who cannot afford such procedures but still strive to undergo them anyways. A company often sponsors one or many fighters who would undergo performance enhancing gene therapy procedures and compete against other fighters from rival companies. Rarely do unsponsored fighters ever succeed in the ring. These companies have gentrified a form of entertainment for the thieves which now is being used for advertising and culling. Locations There are prize fighting rings in the slums of Gunnedin, particularly on the east side of the canal where there is plenty of open land. Most of the time however, the prize fighting rings are in Old City town squares surrounded by run down concrete apartment buildings that overlook the arena so that residents of the slums can watch for entertainment. West side rings end up being discovered by NGLUS faster. Some east side rings still retain the light-hearted tradition of sparring for training purposes and entertainment and are untainted by gene therapy companies. But these are slowly diminishing as sponsored genetically altered filterers are seeking out easier opponents who have not yet been artificially beefed up. Types of fighters The fighters in prize fighting rings tend to be rather physically capable thieves who are desperate to earn money and let off steam while they are at it. Often they are coerced unto receiving gene therapy to win fights. Other thieves such as assassins working for Unter or formerly working for Unter may try their hand to prove their skills but often as they enter the limelight they are found out and are promptly assassinated themselves. Ex-military who are unable to find work sometimes end up putting their skills to the test for the chance to win money. They too are not free from coercion into gene therapy especially when they are too far deep in prize fighting as a career. Despite the skills possessed by ex-military personnel, often they quit the military or were fired because they were deemed no longer fit to serve and thus never make it as far as some long reigning champions in the rings. On the west side of the canal, proles living on the fringes of the residential areas are likely to pursue prize fighting in the nearby rings due to desperation for money. They usually never win because they were not raised like thieves were. They are often not viewed as worthy enough to be sponsored by gene therapy companies no matter how much they plead to be sponsored. Thief children from harsh circumstances often grow up idolising these fighters and wanting to become one. Normally these children are not aware of the risks and are only presented with the brief glimpses of the glamorous life of the fighters presented by gene therapy companies that organise these fights. This way they can funnel thief children straight to their graves similar to how NGLUS is able to funnel desperate prole children into the military to send to their deaths. Sometimes on rare occasions, designer baby companies produce fighters specifically built and trained to become a fighter. These transgenic fighters are extremely unpopular with thief fans because of all the blatant advertising for designer babies. Sometimes these transgenic fighters are hunted down by mobs of thieves outside the ring when they are not guarded. Notable fighters Rook used to be a thief boy desperate to earn a living somehow and honed his skills by himself to enter prize fighting rings without the sponsorships and procedures offered by gene therapy companies. He actually did reasonably well for someone who has not undergone any gene therapy procedures and thus he was a target for these companies operating the rings. Rook was also often targeted because he exhibited signs of transgenicism which differentiated him from the rest of the thieves. Rook of course was not aware that he was transgenic and therefore did not know hwy he was so highly coveted by these companies hounding him. These companies assume that because Rook was genetically superior, he would respond better to gene therapy procedures and be great for advertising and business. These companies would attempt to rig fights against him and pester him during his day to day life (while protected by the Queen of Thieves who aggressively told these companies to back off) for him to receive sponsorships and procedures. Eventually he gave in and spiralled into undergoing far too many procedures for money and sponsorships. He ended up suffering from various side effects, illnesses and disorders during his decline. Later he became a general of Black Feather. During his time of fame however he acquired a reasonable following of fans who are now also affiliated with Black Feather.